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1. e4
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This is an ongoing training game. A full discussion on each players thoughts are given. If you have any suggestions or ideas on any of the moves or annotations, send me a msg!! |
 
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1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6
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(kiaoi)Whites next move is the first crossroads in RL. I have played 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6.Bxc6 (sets up my knight to take e5 later) bxc6 7.Nxe5 followed by white playing Re1 and opening an attack on the black king. Or maybe I have the order wrong.. maybe 7.Re1 forces black to defend the N on e4 then white can play Nxe5.
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The other move for white maybe 5.d3 (defends e4)
or 5.c3 sets up attack with a d5 push later.
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This position has given me heaps of thought and I've been inclined in many games to play 5.0-0.
What do you think? |
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5. O-O Nxe4
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(evgraan)Good analysis. You are on the right track. Let's look at the options you list:
c3 is not as frequently played and seems to favour black at high levels of play.
O-O is definitely the most widely played, but black does not have to play 5. ... Nxe4. If he does though, good move orders are: 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. d4 Ne6 9. Nxe5 Be7 10. Be3 O-O 11. f4 with a good game for white or perhaps 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. d4 Ne6 9. Nxe5 Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Be3 with a good game for both players. 6. Bxc6 seems to work out OK for white, but I'm not sure if it gives white a lasting advantage. It seems as though white has a tough time getting an advantage in the RL, but as I say I'm not an expert. Probably a good RL book is the way to go!!
5. d3 is quieter than 5. O-O and does not lead to such wild play as 5. O-O does : ) If you're playing a good positional player who is weak on tactics, 5. O-O could be the way to go. If you're playing a more tactical player and you're comfortable with positional play, 5. d3 could give you an edge. A good, classical lines are: d3 d6 6. c3 g6 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Nf1 O-O 9. Ng3 b5 10. Bc2 d5 11. O-O or 11 Qe2 with good games for white.
Also consider 5. Qe2 and 5. d4! I'll leave these for you to read up on : )
In this game though, black is going to try and beat you on tactics, since you've opened the door for some interesting play with 5. O-O ; ) Let's see how your 6. Bxc6 does? |
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6. Bxc6
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(kiaoi)ok lets go for it. 6.BxN bxB with an opening of the b-file for rook attack. I have read that white doesn't get much out of trading bishop for knight so early. I like the idea of d4, but I think it'd be better after BxN. so here we go... |
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6... dxc6
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(evgraan) Ahah, but here black throws you a curve ball, because after bxc6, Nxe5 notice that black has 3 pawn islands... hmm, not so good, so black decides to play with his pawns and make sure he only has 2 pawn islands by playing the much more popular 6. ... dxc6! This also opens the diagonal for the bishop on c8... where-as bxc6 would have left the bishop blocked on b7 by the c6 pawn... Also, now black's queen has got some scope down the d-file. So it seems to make more sense to play dxc6... |
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7. Re1
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(kiaoi) I've seen both 6..bxc6 and 6..dxc6 play. I'm still unsure of which is better as bxc6 opens the b file for the Rook to exploit and also gives two centre pawns, whilst dxc6 has the advantages u have spoken of. with dxc6, i really can't play 7.d4 anymore. I think 7.Re1 forces you to move the knight or protect it.
7.Qe2 is also good I think whereafter I could double up on the e file with Re1 and put real pressure on your pieces. Other moves could be 7.b3 to fianchetto bishop, but I think this is too slow.
So I forsee this:
7.Re1 f5 8.Nxe5 Be7... and now where does my knight go?!?!?!?! This is where I get lost. Do I continue to develop and wait until the knight gets kicked off its square? and now I question grabbing the e-pawn.
Well maybe 9.d3 forces your knight away and I keep developing as I do have my Rook on the e-file |
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7... Nc5
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(evgraan) Okay, Re1 is a good move. 7. ... f5 I don't like as it weakens black's king-side. The pawn on e5 is going to fall and with the white rook on e1 pushing f5 would place black in hot water. The move most played here for black is 7. ... Nc5. This keeps the knight eyeing the centre, gets it to safety and under the protection of the f8 bishop. Also, it allows the knight to potentially hop back to e6 in defence of the king since the e-file would be open with white's rook lining up for a shot at black's king. 7. ... Nf6 has also been played, but Nc5 seems more versatile. Nc5 does open up the d4 option for white again and this should help answer your question re: where does white's knight go. The answer in the short term is: no-where! The knight on f3 can now pounce on the e5 pawn, after which d4! could follow, supporting the knight. The knight will be well centralized on e5, and black would be unwise to weaken his kingside with f6... so the knight could sit very well on e5. |
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8. d4
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(kiaoi) Initially thought 8.Nxe5 forces black to cover the open e-file with Ne6 or Be7, probably Be7 to develop another piece? But I like 8.d4 Ne3 9.Nxe4 Be7 10.d4 to support knight. This position looks like black is cramped with the light bishop blocked until the king is out of the open e-file. |
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8... Ne6
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Indeed, the white knight looks nice on e5 : ) Let's see how the position plays out! This is a vital time for white, as in the next few moves he sets the tone for the game. I syspect white has a brief opportunity for a lasting advantage here, and black threatens to equalize after O-O, so white must make the most of his position in the next few moves! |
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9. Nxe5
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I will continue with the original plan. I can plan attacks on f7 by Qf3. If black pushes f6, then that might mess my plans. But does Black usually play this? as it weakens the kingside, maybe to get the knight out of the way. Black may play to develop so 9..Bd6 develps and gets attacks the knight. 10.f4?? Weakens castled king but maybe it can work to consolidate the centre with two pawns. I think this is where my problem is, trying to find a long term strategy or to develop one. I will try and play for control of the centre, so if black follows up with 10...c5 11.c3.
Is that good strat or do you think develop the pieces is better at this moment? |
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9... Be7 10. c3 O-O
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evgraan) Well played. A good, strong move. Solidifying your center and supporting the strong knight on e5. Black's position is solid, but he needs space. and time to develop, so O-O tries to give some space. A primary concern for black is the strong knight on e5... |
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11. Nd2
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(kiaoi) This is a critical position for me, as I never know what to do next. Games Databases show many players choosing Nd2-f3 while black tries to break the centre with c6-c5. Eventually whites d-pawn will be isolated after the exchange, so I guess the knight move to f3 is good for the centre pawn protection. I also considered Be3, before the Knight's moves to f3 but can't see much difference in the order of movements. |
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11... c5
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Hmm, Nd2 has the draw-back of blocking white's bishop on c1 and reducing the influence of white's queen on the center... This limits white's options. For example, as you rightly say, c5 followed by Ndf3 opens the bishop up again, but this has allowed black counterplay in the center. The more immeditate 11. Be3 prevents black from playing c5, thus solidifying white's control of the center. White's had quite a bit of success with 11. Be3, where-as 11 Nd2 seems drawish, giving away some of the momentary advantage that white has built up in the center by allowing c5. Also note that allowing black to play c5 has longer-term consequences. Black is heading for an end-game where he'd probably benefit from having two bishops (e.g. cxd4, Nxd4, NxN, cxN and black ends up with the two bishops). So, open diagonals help black. In allowing c5, white opens up the a5-e1 diagonal after exchanges on d4, giving black more space. Also, the pawn on d4 becomes an isolated target, tying down some of white's minor pieces to keep an eye on protecting it... Perhaps a good way of looking at the position before 11. Nd2 or 11. Be3 is to ask the question, which of the central squares (d4, e4, d5 and e5) are in contention? White "owns" e4 with his rook on e1, and black "owns" d5 with his queen on d8, The white knight is sitting solidly on e5, but the square in most contention is d4! (This is obvious after c5 has been played, but the trick is to notice the possibility of c5 and the accompanying contention!) Moving the knight to d2 blocks white's queen support of this hotly contested square, while adding control to the already-solid e4 square. Thus, from my point of view it seems better to rather play Be3, focusing more white muscle on d4. If you keep in mind that white's advantage in this opening line is his central space and control, the moves should come more natural at this point in the game : ) |
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12. Ndf3 cxd4
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(evgraan) Okay. This position is not bad for white by any means! White has lost his opening advantage though, so black stands equal in my opinion. Black's first task is to get rid of his double c-pawn and chip away at the strong white center, and then to arrange his minor pieces for activity, so black's goals are as follows:
1) weaken d4
2) strengthen the black center
3) develop minor pieces.
How do you think black can accomplish this? The first move is clear- cxd4. |
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13. cxd4
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13.cxd4 Bb4 drives away rook and weakening centre defence at e5 square. White can reply with 14.Bd2 where the exchange helps white?!? (I think) 14...BxBd2 15.QxBd2. Games DB sees black play 13.cxd4 Qd5 which I can only see that it tries to develop out the light square bishop and then join the rooks. The other move was 13.cxd4 Bf6 attacking the Knight. I think that is ok for white as the other Knight can recapture at e5 if the bishop takes it. Whites 14th move will depend on what black plays here. |
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13... c6
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(evgraan) Well done, good analyses. There is something to note here though. White's pawn on d4 ia what is called an IQP, Isolated Queen's Pawn. Now, in your analyses you mention in both cases exchanging some pieces... this is not a good idea when you are the side playing with the IQP. Why is this? Well, the IQP is a double-edged sword. In the middle-game, where we now find ourselves, the IQP is an advantage, as it provides support points for launching an attack. So, for example, it you look at the knight on e5, he is very strong with the support of the pawn on d4. Also, c5 could be a potential launching point supported by d4. The second advantage of the IQP in the middle-game is it's potential advance. So here d4 - d5 would be trouble-some for black. With each step the pawn comes closer to the back rank and potentially queening, but it also scatters enemy forces along the way. The third advantage of the IQP is that it limits the enemy's piece movement. The opposing side might find it difficult to find good squares for his minor pieces, and may have trouble getting those pieces to those squares. I suspect especially with an IQP on the 4th and 5th rank this may make life difficult for the opponent. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, there is a disadvantage as well. In the long-term, if we were to take all the minor pieces and the queens off the board, black would probably have the better end-game, since the isolated pawn is weak... hence my earlier statement that exchanging pieces is not a good idea for white here. Rather, white should try and extend the middle-game for as long as possible, trying to mount an attack of some kind, using his IQP as support. The opponent on the other hand should try and exchange pieces to create more space and lessen the potency of an attack. Secondly, the opponent should try and block the IQP from advancing. This is done primarily by placing a minor piece in front of it and thirdly the opponent should try and attack the IQP, since it is st |
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14. Be3
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Well a lot to consider. Ideally I want the Q to be on b3, to attack b7 but also have ready the protection for a pawn push if black plays c5. But if the black knight moves to c7 then there's a problem in that. The long term goal maybe to develop the black bishop and it only looks good at e3 position which will then allow Qb3 and then Rook to d1. I don't like the look of black playing to B-b4 which will force me to move the Rook on e1. Tempting is to push the a-pawn to a3, but i think this is a 'slow' move. I've heard that somewhere, and i should focus on developing my pieces. With that in mind I think Be3 is the go to protect the pawn. |
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14... Nc7
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(evgraan) Well done! Be3 is probably the best move here. Black continues with his plan. Be3 seems OK for the bishop for now, but note that after Nc7 and the logical Nd5, the bishop on e3 is under attack. One move order you might consider is: Nc7 followed by Bf4, followed by Nd5 and then Bg3, pro-actively getting your bishop to a good square (why is g3 a good square for your black bishop? Please think of at least 3 reasons if you could). |
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15. Bf4
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i would never have thought of playing Bishop there. I did think of exchangin but then i realise 3 pawn islands, and knights v bishops. Why is it good to play Bto f4 then g3? Maintains one bishop and i don't want to exchange while I have the isolated pawn. It defends the central knight. It opens up the e-file for my rook. I guess this is where I stuff up. I usually play blindly and not analyse enough and I think without your comment I would play Qb3 which is bad of course as stated above!!
But what about a Bishop retreat to d2, that to me looks ok as it controls a lot of squares available to the Knight on d5. Actually I think in the long run the bishop would be out of place after I get the other rook to d1 for to protect and then I'd have to move the bishop again with the only good square for it on c1. |
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